The Dark Future Paradox
by la-perla's mermaid
Summary: Wendy gets a glimpse of her future as the next Middle woman and will have the chance to make things right, even at an unthinkable cost. Eventual MM/WW. Spoilers of Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: First of all i don't own anything, second i'm not even sure if this fic is even good but the idea has been running around my mind and i had to write it off.

….

Middleman HQ 18:00 hours

The middleman called his trainee with increasing desperation, it wasn't common for Wendy to not answering her middle watch, something was definitely wrong.

-"Ida I really need you to track Wendy she's not answering"-

-"I'll take care of the dopey you got a bigger fish to fry, there's an alien invasion coming our way, probably Althurians, I'll give you the coordinates"- The android said to the intercom

-"I wouldn't be surprised if those aliens were involved in her disappearance"- He said disgusted.

-"She's probably passed out from the smoking I'll take care"-

-"We both know she wouldn't do that, I'm serious Ida"- He said even more concerned if that was possible.

-"Just go to the friggin place before mankind gets enslaved by whatever superior alien race is up to get us. I'll take care of Smokey mc Pot"-

Ida sighed when the boss hung up, when it came to Wendy he was an overprotective pain in the ass, if he knew that the dopey was simply banished from the earth by a force so powerful and secret not even the HEYDAR could track down he would get into an hysteric fit, he might even forget about the aliens and go on a wild goose chase just to find her.

Damn those meat bags, their emotions got in the way of their missions and judgement; this middleman seemed more grounded and serious than his predecessors. His lack of social life and up tight proper ness should be an asset that prevented him from making stupid decisions but behind all his neat mannerisms laid a man with an unpredictable personality and passionate emotions. Once, not long ago, given to choose between the faith of the modern world and his apprentice's life, he chose her. If the Mary Jane worshipping hippie hadn't come up with a plan at the eleventh hour the only technology available on earth would be a piece of rock tied to a stick.

Ida searched for the tracker on Wendy's watch, nothing, the last images recorded showed her painting alone in the apartment and then engulfed in a ray of light. Ida recognized that light though; she had seen it several times before. She had been called by the curse of Chac- Mol. It didn't make sense that a trainee was summoned instead of a middleman but Ida's belief that O2STK did it for a valid reason was the only thing in the android's programming that resembled faith.

…

Middleman HQ,Year 2018, 20:00 hours, London time.

Wendy opened her eyes and saw a room with a great resemblance of the Middle HQ; she also saw hundreds of middlemen and middle women around her. She knew from her previous experience she was called in to fight to stop the end of the world, all the worriers around her braced for the upcoming battle.

A young beautiful blonde woman limped her way in front of all of them, she wore casual clothing but the colour pattern presented her as a Middlewoman. She was followed by a young attractive man dressed in a Hawaiian like t shirt that reminded Wendy of Ida's ugly dress.

-"To all the warriors that came here to fight in order to save the world I have bad news, the apocalypse near doomsday situation happened three days ago"- The blonde woman said tired

Nothing could be more scary and confusing that a room filled with middlemen asking angry questions, out of the young man in the ugly t shirt came a siren that silenced them all, he was obviously an android.

-"The villain of the hour, a jerk named Eagle Eye messed with the Chac-mol amulet so when we called you guys you didn't show up until it was too late. The situation is contained now but at a great expense, the previous Middlewoman died stopping this villain's plan to destroy the world"- He said sadly

More angry shouting, Wendy heard her boss predecessor, Ravine; she said enraged that if the amulet wasn't reliable the next time it failed the world might be easily destroyed.

-"Was the villain ripped to pieces like he deserves? If not I'll like to help on that matter"- cave man middleman asked raising a huge stick

-"Unfortunately no, but as the new Middlewoman my first job will be to destroy him in the most painful way possible and I want the pleasure for myself only"- The new heroine said with and angry smile.

-"So much for the omniscient O2STK those guys can screw up as much as we do"- Wendy said out loud, she heard the door stomped open and a stylish blonde came out of there shouting.

-"Great! Now you choose to show up, a little too late you know?"- She was on the verge of tears

-"Calm down Lacey, it's not their fault if the amulet was damaged"- The android called Idan said.

-"I just buried my best friend don't you dare to tell me to calm down"- She was crying now

-"Lacey?"- Wendy asked dumbfounded –"Geez is that you?"- Behind the impeccable clothing, aging and snobby manners she could tell that woman was her friend

The other blonde approached her, her jaw would have fallen to the floor, she touched Wendy's face to see if she was real.

-"Oh my god, boss you're alive!"- The new Middlewoman hugged her, followed by an unrecognizable Lacey and an unknown android. By the time they let go the rest of the warriors were gone they disappeared by the amulet's power, leaving only a very confused Wendy with three people that claimed to know her.

-"Ok guys I've seen weird before but this is way over my league would you please explain before I get a freak out fest in here?"- The trainee was terrified, she could take down any monster without a flinch but something about this seemed wrong. Thirty minutes later when she got her explanation the scene had only grown darker.

She was summoned ten years in the future in the city of London, right at the end of her time as a Middlewoman.

The beautiful blonde used to be named Evangeline Emerson, she had been Wendy's trainee but with her boss' recent demise she was promoted and now she was The Middlewoman.

The android was Idan, apparently you can change Ida's true appearance in the shape the current boss wanted, in this case a cute guy with an ugly t-shirt, and he had been in that mode for almost ten years now.

Lacy on the other half was now the CEO of the fashion house Famouse, now radicated in Europe. Apparently she had been Roxy's assistant until the succubus died and then she had to take charge of the company.

Wendy was afraid to ask about Noser, it wasn't long until a handsome man in an expensive suit entered the HQ followed by two bodyguards, and she recognized him as her friend. When Lacey introduced him as the prime minister of England her mind begun to spin.

-"There could only be one reason for you to come here Wendy"- Noser said with a ceremonial tone –"You must learn about this future so you can go back to the past and change it"-


	2. Chapter 2

-"I could see the logic in that, the amulet was messed up but maybe it still managed to find a way to alter reality. If the Middleman army couldn't show up in time, sending you to the future so you can go back and change it might be the answer"- Lacey said pensively. Noser had always been the wise man of their group.

-"Don't you have to be dead in order to be summoned by the amulet?"- Wendy remembered all the Middlemen that helped her over the last apocalypse came from the underworld

-"Not exactly, over the last few ages I've seen Middlemen summoned while still alive. I'm not into tattle telling so all I'm gonna say is that not all Middlemen go to the same place when they die so the amulet picks them up earlier"- Idan says bitterly, still this male version of the cranky android seem less bitchy than the original.

-"If you're talking about the obscure and never well clarified list of the corrupted middlemen you better shut it, everyone in this room (with the exception of Noser's bodyguards, why are they here anyway?) knows The Boss never…"- Evangeline was about to unleash her rage at the offending comments, Wendy was marvelled at the way this girl seemed to idealize her.

-"It only proves my point; Wendy was summoned here to stop these tragedies before they happened."- Noser cut her off, he wouldn't even let that ridicule statement to be mentioned. He continued pointing at Evie –"As for the bodyguards, Evie, well… the new Middlewoman needs a trainee and these guys are interested on the job, their qualifications are beyond impressive and they're eager to try out for it"-

-"This is weird. I've always been a sidekick but now I'm the boss and have my own sidekick? That is too much to handle right now, besides the boss is still here right?"- She saw Wendy with pleading eyes

-"Hey I'm exactly in the same place you are"- Wendy said exasperated.

Seeing Lacey, Wendy had trouble believing that the only difference between the idealist vegan protest raider ambientalist and the woman with a Merril Streep in The-devil-wears-prada attitude was only of ten years. She wondered if Roxy hadn't had anything to do with it.

-"What happened to you Lacey? Roxy didn't do anything to your soul like… I don't know eat it?"- Wendy feared the answer

-"I'm afraid she lost her soul way after Roxy got killed, I think it was when her husband died, right Lacey?"- Evangeline Blurted out, apparently being subtle wasn't her strength.

Lacey's eyes turned red as she stared at the girl's direction, a little flame appeared on the trainee's shirt. Wendy threw a glass of water at it and told Lacey to cut it off, later on she would find the way to prevent her friend's transformation.

It was surprising how she could already feel a bond between her and her future sidekick, Evangeline was a tall, strong young woman with an innocent angel-like aura around her. If you could turn Clarence Colton into a British young girl it would be quite similar. Maybe that's the reason she hired her. When she asked why the girl was limping Lacey informed her that Eagle Eye had stabbed her a week ago, without O2STK's technology in medicine she would have died. Wendy was so angry at the villain she launched a surprise attack, which lead to the final confrontation between the Middlewoman and Eagle Eye.

"Before we keep pumping all this information into your head why don't you tell us the time you come from? So we know which catastrophe we can stop."- Noser said calmly, he still had that soulful way around him in spite of his short sleek hair and the royalty attitude.

"That's easy"- Lacey said –"She still don't have her bitter and sulky "I have the weight of the world on my shoulders" look, she's comes from her pre- Middlewoman stage, before Clarence Colton died."-

"My boss died? How?"-

"Both of you went to fight the Althurians to stop their invasion, he got killed by a kraken like monster so you could escape"- Evie said simply

"Oh (bleep), my first act as a Middlewoman is getting my boss killed"-

"It's the way things are supposed to be boss, the senior manager dies and passes the torch to his or hers apprentice"- Idan said softly, a little pride in his voice.

"It's the truth, three days ago the last thing you did before you sacrificed yourself was saving my life"- Evangeline's eyes welled up with tears.

"Well the first thing I'm gonna do when I get back is saving him, no doubt about it"-

Lacey said sadly:-"You always said the world turned a whole lot crappier when he died. At first I thought it was lack of self esteem as your development in the Job, you always thought he was a better Middleman than you"-

"Lack of self esteem? Was her Boss they were talking about?" Evie could not believe her ears, the Wendy Watson she knew was an overconfident, glamorous woman who had often saved the world in stilettos without breaking a sweat or even smudging her couture uniform, yet the younger version in front of her seemed to be a corky paint covered bohemian girl who was just as clueless as her.

Just when Evangeline was about to loose a little of the immense admiration she felt for her, a glimpse of the extraordinary heroine se would become shone through.

Wendy stood in the middle of the HQ and took control of the situation

-"Ok guys I need a background check with all the information available on both the Althurian invasion and this Eagle Eye, once we get that we start the planning to bring them down."- Wendy stared at the android –"Idan how much time do I got before I get back to my present?"-

-"I don't even know how the hell you got here, my guess is that you'll go when you have to"- He handed her the daily records and chronicles of the last ten years.

-"I have trained personnel as my security team; if you need an army or weapons just ask"-

-"Thanks Noser"-

-"And I have a lot of pissed off succubae and incubi in case you need them, and for the Althurians you will. What made those (bleep) so dangerous is that no weapon can harm them, but they are not immune to magic, that how we defeated them back in the day"-

-"Thanks Lacey"-

-"What do you need me to do?"- Evie said eagerly

-"Go to bed and rest from your stabbing injuries, in case mi plan in the past fails we have to take down Eagle Eye right now. I need you in proper shape, you look like hell"-

-"Great, leaving me outside the big picture again"- She grumbled and dragged her feet to the infirmary room.


	3. Chapter 3

Lacey's exclusive and ridiculously large penthouse, year 2018, 21:00 hours

Wendy had been living in the future for almost six moths now, she knew that if she wanted to prevent not only one but two near apocalypse events she couldn't play sidekick anymore, she had to become a Middlewoman. And so she did, she had plenty of physical and emotional scars to prove it.

After destroying Eagle Eye Wendy was sure that a chance for her to have a normal life was out of the question, there was just too much emotional baggage. She understood now why Colton distanced himself from the outside world, if it wasn't that her friends were catastrophe proof she would have gladly done the same. The thought of him dying broke her heart, when a soul as pure as his is taken by a bunch of freaks, the world does turn a little crappier.

It was a lovely night in London, Lacey's penthouse had a great view of the Thames, though Wendy would have loved to be somewhere else, in the Soho district with Evie fighting an upraise of flesh eating zombies. Evie now turned to Middlewoman was with both of her own sidekicks shooting zombies like a world of carnage videogame, Wendy's favourite.

It was the first time in Middleman history that a hero took two trainees instead of one, Noser's former bodyguards worked so well together, besides it was impossible to decide which one should keep the job since both excelled at different yet complementary areas, it was nice to see the HQ buzzing with activity but with four crime fighters working together things could get a little chaotic.

Still instead of busting some very well deserved zombie ass she was at her friend's place getting her measures done for her new uniform. She now understood that her future self's glamorous stile was a mere result of being Lacey's personal doll, to be dressed at the fashion designer's will.

-"Would you hold still? If the measures don't come right the suit doesn't come right"-

-"Sorry Lace, but I really think I should get going."-

-"Absolutely not "Boss" I know you wanna go with Evie but we talked about this before, the plan for when you go back to the past is ready, soon the amulet will take you back and by the time that happens your protégé will have to deal with saving the world on her own"- one of the sowing needles poked her back.

-"But what if she needs me?"- Wendy pleaded

-"She will activate the alarm on her watch, you know that."-

-"Maybe I should go check the real time recording so I could…"-

-"Burst in the middle of the fight and stop them from handling the situation like you did yesterday? You have to let go that momma bear attitude Dub-Dub, you trained her well she is more than ready."- Lacey said writing down the measurements.

-"Look there's no telling when I'll be sent back, if ever. Maybe the amulet doesn't want me to go back, maybe my mission was to defeat you know who and stay."- She was determined to save Clarence but wasn't ready to let her trainee on her own, it was like sending your child to her first day of school, you know there will be bullies and evil teachers ready to get a piece of them.

-"Idan is sensing some minor disturbances on the time-space fabric, a portal is opening, trust me I'll love you to stay but in less than 24 hours you'll have to go."-

Wendy sighed, sharing these last few hours with her friend was more important than having fun with zombies, there were still many questions on her head.

-"Lace, how did you become a demon? I know about Warren but I still don't understand."-

-"As you know Roxy mentored me for years, when she died I had to take over and as a human that was pretty hard. All the incubi got restless; it was like putting a glass of scotch in front of a recovering alcoholic. When Warren died the idea of loosing my soul so I wouldn't feel that much pain seemed like the best thing to do and for a while it did work. I still feel though, sometimes with more intensity than humans."- A tear threatened to come out of her right eye but she caught it in time.

-"How did you ended up working with Roxy to begin with?"-

-"The Althurians attacked the sublet hoping to destroy you, by then you had already figured out they were immune to all human weapons or technology but magic was a different issue. You showed up with Roxy and begun blasting spells of fire at them and they worked, it was the beginning of the resistance against the invasion. Everyone on the sublet found out about what your actual job was about and most of them decided to help the cause. I was grateful to Wasserman for saving my life, she forgave me about that water spell and I took the job as her assistant. She was key to fight the aliens and I knew I would be more helpful to her than I would be to you, Tyler was already covering that area"- The succubus tried to keep the hurtful thoughts out of her head, a glimmer of red light in her eyes.

Wendy went to the liquor cabinet and drank a not so small glass of primed Cuban rum, Tyler's history would cause her nightmares and pain for years to come. Because of it she found it hard to sleep without any alcohol, in spite of her friends sometimes she felt her only solace was a booze induced stupor. After being faced with the harsh reality of this particular timeline she felt it was _her_ soul that got destroyed.

-"I need a favour Lace, a big one"-

-"What is it?"-

-"I need you to take care of Evie, I get the idea you don't like her that much but she really needs you"- she gave her friend a huge puppy eyes and sighed dramatically.

Lacey shook her head –"Dub-dub it's not like I hate her, Famouse has been trying to form an alliance with the Middleman Company for ages and now we made it. I wouldn't risk all that hard work for a bitch fight."- She could tell her friend was asking something else so she admitted shyly –"I'm not mad at her; I just bicker all the time because I'm jealous. The hero-sidekick bond is so strong sometimes it feels the outside world is left behind, she is your best friend not me. When it comes to priorities your job always came first and I was second"-

-"That's not true Lace"-

-"Yes it is! The bigger irony is that when you first took the job you did it so you could paint but when the shit hit the fan you quit painting. This job took everything from you, your boyfriend, your art, your life! Most of our friends are dead and there's nothing that protect us from being next."- Horns came from the demon's head and her voice begun to sound like it was coming from a hard metal rock band.

-"I'll make it right! When I get back I'm gonna fix all my mistakes and all of you will be safe and alive"- The Middlewoman was shaking now, she clenched her fist so her friend wouldn't see her trembling fingers.

-"And who will save you? When you first got here you were still the old Dubster but now… I don't remember the last time I saw you smile, or paint. The future version of you died alone in that headquarter, are you gonna make sure that doesn't happen again?"-

-"No I won't"- Wendy's voice sounded cold and hollow –"You're right I'm not the smart ass half crime fighter half struggling artist anymore. I quit painting and the slightest hope of having a life outside my work. I'll stop all of you from getting dragged into this even if it means I have to loose your friendship"-

Lacey let a roar of impotent rage and yelled at her

-"You always criticized Colton for sacrificing his happiness to save the world, now you're doing the same"-

-"I know why the Middleman looses his or her name when they take charge, it's because they loose their true identity, their family, their love, their life. Everything that makes them an individual is sooner or later taken away and you turn into an anonymous being with nothing but a mission"-

-"Saving the fucking world so the rest of us don't have to"- Lacey hugged her friend one last time, she dreaded that no matter the outcome she wouldn't see Wendy again.


	4. Chapter 4

Middleman HQ, Year 2018, 11:00 hours, London time

The portal would be fully open in less than thirty minutes; she had a few more things to discuss to her friends before disappearing.

Lacey couldn't be in the HQ to say goodbye to her because of a powerful demon that got off the wagon. The standard protocol dictaminated that the first line of battle would be in charge of Famouse, in case that failed the Middleman organization would intervene so Evie and her sidekicks: Lorenzo Lucetti, and Italian former aerial force commander and David Donovan, an Irish soldier formerly involved with the CIA were on call.

Wendy understood how Lacey probably felt when she couldn't see her performance at art crawl but everything they needed to say was discussed last night, not all issues were nice ones though. She would take a massive bag with items she would need for her mission and a full wardrobe Lacey had designed especially for her, along with a metal suitcase with 3 million dollars on it.

The heavy luggage was carried by the new sidekicks, Evie made them prepare everything so she could have a final word with her boss in private.

-"What is it Evie?"-

-"Did you ever slept with your boss? Or at least had sexual tension between you?"- The big eyed blonde asked her.

Wendy knew Evie had the obnoxious habit of blurting things out and to make things worse, she usually chose the wrong words to make her point. Such an infuriating and yet sometimes endearing tray of personality usually got her to be misunderstood, so Wendy knew better than to enrage at her clumsy comments, instead she allowed her to finish her train of thought before responding.

-"Why do you ask? And no, he was like a father to me and he usually called me his little sister."-

-"I'm gonna work everyday with these guys for hopefully a long time and they are… well… cute. How did you get to have such a clean relationship with your boss?"-

-"Well for starters he was clean in body, mind and soul. He was always hyper respectful and NEVER tried anything inappropriate, he even made me wear the ugliest uniform back in the day; I looked as sexy as a potato bag. To top things up he was mourning his lost love so he wasn't interested in dating or any social activity."- His infatuation with Lacey would forever be unmentioned since it no longer belonged to this reality –"Besides, he wasn't my type"- she finished nonchalantly.

-"I see, but still. Even if he wasn't your type judging by your paintings he was a very handsome man, didn't you ever think of him in a different light?"-

-"Not even during a Clotharian decontamination protocol. It's funny that man would have jumped out of a plane to land in a pond filled with mutant piranhas and genetic altered sharks for me; he sacrificed himself to save my life not once but twice. Still in reality there was always a gigantic wall between us, it took and Armageddon for me to even know his name, he never told me much about himself. I have no doubt that he loved me in a fatherly way as I love him. But how could I _love _a man I never really knew?"- She felt a little hurt at her own words; Clarence Colton had become just another idealized father figure that escaped from her grasp.

-"So it takes a lot of work not to have that sexual tension on the job, not sure if it's worth it"- Evie shrugged.

-"In your case it is. You have two male sidekicks their egos are clashing already, add a little sexual tension at the excess of testosterone and you'll have a massive telenovela with laser guns to top it up."- Instinctively she took her father's lighter in her hands and fidgeted with it. One final question came to her mind, Evie knew more about her life than Lacey. She didn't want to be like the Middleman so she always had a very open and honest relationship with her sidekick.

-"Did I ever know what happened to my father?"-

-"Sorry boss, you gave up a few years ago. You were buried with the lighter though, at least I hope so, we had to use a close casket."- She said sympathetically

-"You now what maybe you should keep it, so you can think about me when you're feeling down, it always helped me"- She handed her the silvery item. The girl was so happy the clumsily threw her arms around her almost knocking her out of balance.

-"Was I a good boos? Did I ever gave you crap about anything?"- Wendy was getting emotional

-"Only when I screwed up"- She said honestly

-"Oh Kay…did I ever told you how proud of you I was?"-

-"Every time I needed a pep talk"- Evie gave her a radiant smile –"I'll miss you boss"-

The affectionate moment was interrupted by a shy Noser, his incredibly busy schedule made impossible for him to hang out with Wendy in over a month, so he cancelled on the ambassador or Chorea to say goodbye to his friend.

-"Hey Wendy Watson"-

-"Hi Noser, how's the management of an entire nation going?"- She said casually

-"Busy, before you go to the past there are a few things we need to talk about"-

-"Yeah, I know you only took charge of the country to stop Eagle Eye from taking over it like he did on the states, people believed in you and if it wasn't for the revolution you started, this nation would be as enslaved as our home land. You are the prime minister because you earned it and you had to be, given the choice you would rather be not playing the guitar on the streets. You'll have the life you wanted; I'll take care of it"-

He answered seriously -"First of all you know it was a little more complex than that. Second that's true if I had to choose between being a careless bohemian and the ruler of an entire nation I'll take the asphalt any day, but if I have to choose between the life I want and your friendship I'll have the latter without a doubt. You put a whole lot of weight in all our shoulders Watson, but you gave us the satisfaction of fighting for what was right, Lacey wanted me to tell you that. Don't push us away, we both choose to be your friends no matter what."-

Wendy couldn't express her gratitude because the lump in her throat, before she knew it the time portal sucked her in.

Middleman HQ, Present day, 18:35 hours.

Wendy opened her eyes to find a dumbstruck Ida staring back at her; she straitened her gorgeous yet casual uniform and showed the android her utility belt, demonstrating she was now promoted to Middlewoman status.

-"Yeah, suck it in nag-bot, I'm in charge now. Where's the Middleman?"-

-"He went after an Althurian spaceship, I lost contact with him five minutes ago, sounded nasty you might have gotten promoted anyway"- Her sarcasm didn't hide what could be interpreted as concern over Colton.

-"He's alive, at least for now. He won't get killed for another ten hours; the spaceship is just a scout the heavy artillery is coming in about thirty six hours. My watch is transferring all the data you need to the HEYDAR, I need a spaceship or at the very least an airplane that is undetectable by any radar and that can fly in zero atmosphere. Now!"-

-"We got both "boss" anything else?"- The android slid some venom on that word

-"Yeah I want the coordinates on The Middleman's last whereabouts and the last real time recording on his watch, download it into mine"-

-"Done"-

-"Oh, and Ida? One more thing"-

-"Yeees?"- She said in a mocking tone

-"I need coffee, make it black"-


	5. Chapter 5

The Althurian scout spaceship, Stratosphere, 18:45 hours.

-"I will ask you one more time before I loose my temper. Where is she? What have you done to Wendy?"- The Middleman's laser cage rattled with his outbursts, his concern had grown exponentially, his sidekick disappears in the middle of an Althurian invasion? Too much of a coincidence. He knew this race was known for its cruelty and most alien races feared them, he also knew his laser gun and all his gadgets were useless against them and that his Sensei Ping training did little on the thick skin creatures who also had a huge tolerance to pain. Belatedly he realized that Sensei Ping had put on too much emphasis on pain and not enough in crippling or permanent damage.

In spite of all his training, weapons and experience he was easily subdued by only three Althurians, the fact this race was known for its gargantuan strength provided him neither comfort nor justification, he had failed. Clarence feared of what might have happened to Wendy if she fell into their slimy hands.

Two barely audible thuds reached the Middleman's highly sensitive ears, when he was about to dismiss them a figure stepped out of the shadows, so stealthy the Althurian that pilot the ship didn't even notice until it was too late. The Middlewoman's magic embedded dagger pierced its throat and chopped the head off like a knife through butter. She sat in front of the controls taking charge of the ship and instructed Ida to give her the coordinates of an empty field she could land a huge spaceship on without being seen.

-"Dubbie is that you?"- Clarence said with the broadest smile her ever put on, he was glad to see her not only alive and well but also in charge of the situation, she looked so different…

-"One and only, Colton. Are you hurt?"-

The scars on his body were nothing compared to the ones in his ego, he would be in pain for a while though, they had hit his head about ten times in a row. With all his resources he was captured yet she handled the situation in lest than a minute, he felt ashamed at the pang of jealousy and pushed it away as fast as possible.

-"I'm fine Dubby"- He said full of pride. His head throbbed; he didn't know that after the massive concussion he was running on adrenaline only, when his stress level subsided he faded into unconsciousness without even realizing it.

Middleman HQ, 19:40 hours

When Clarence woke up he was in the infirmary greeted by and annoyed Ida, she told him he'll be fine. He couldn't help noticing he was no longer in his uniform, instead he was wearing a blue shirt and caqui pants. When he asked the android why he was dressed that way she only answered:

-"It was an order of the new Boss, if you're up for it go to the main room. The sooner the better, your plane leaves in less than two hours."-

-"Droplets of Jupiter Ida what is going on? And what boss are you talking about?"-

-"Better see it for yourself, she's waiting for you"-

Inside the main room Wendy sat staring at his real time recording from when he was captured while Ida served her coffee. Not only her uniform was different she had also cut her hair a little below the line of her chin, her unruly curls were flatted away leaving only straight shiny hair, the whole ensemble made her look stylish, mature and for his taste a little too authoritarian. She rushed at him and gave him a big hug that he gladly returned.

-"How do you feel Clarence?"- She said softly

-"Pretty good, my headache's gone. Ida said something about a new boss and a plane. Do you have any idea of what she's talking about?"-

-"I got promoted. Long story short I was transported to the future by O2STK, I got information of this current events so I could stop them, in the meantime I turned into a Middlewoman"- She said pointing at her belt

-"You were taken to the future? How long did you stay there?"- No wonder she looked older

-"Six months, and that leaves us with the airplane issue"- She paused to gather herself, what she was planning to do would be a hard blow for him, but she was absolutely certain it was for his own good. –"There can only be one Middleman"-

-"Dubbie what are you talking about?"-he said confused.

-"I'm taking over Clarence; I'll be the boss now. You on the other hand will be given an early retirement."- She gave him the suitcase filled with money –"Your retirement ceremony is in fifteen minutes, after that you'll take a flight to Bora-Bora, home of the most beautiful beaches in the world. There are three million dollars on that suitcase, combined with your retirement fund and all the pay checks Ida said you never charged you won't have to work a single day of your life if you don't want to."-

The mixture of shock, hurt and betrayal was another burden Wendy would have to carry, she did her best to explain –"You were the best Middleman, (bleep) the best person that ever worked in this place and you deserve better than dying at the hands of a kraken like monster or whatever weird creature or villain decides to try ruling the world. I'm giving you chance to have a happy ending, your walking down the sunset I you like, to die as an old man in your bed surrounded by family and friends instead of in a monster's gut"- She drew a shaky breath understanding that she was giving him what she could no longer have–"To love a woman that doesn't die or forgets about your existence and have children with her"-

His face softened, he knew she had the best intentions for him even when he was certain she was wrong.

-"Dubby this is the life I choose. Yes it has a few downsides but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm certain you will, hum, you are a great Middleman"- he was still a little squirmy about that fact –"but I'd rather fight by your side and watching your back over a sunny beach in French Polynesia anytime."-

Wendy said sadly –"I knew you would say that"- she turned to Ida –"get the needle"-

Ida grabbed a large syringe with a potent narcotic in it and aimed it at the hero.-"Sorry Clarence, she's the boss now. In the case two Middlemen confronted over control the youngest one has priority"-

-"By the time you wake up you'll be in paradise and before you know it you will see that it was all for the best"- She said coldly as he dodged the android's needle.

-"Wendy don't do this!"- He implored

-"Don't worry so much Clarence, I got it covered"- Her soulless voice caused more pain to the Middleman than any alien or supernatural weapon he ever knew. Still Ida couldn't get the narcotic in his system, he was agile and strong.

Wendy left the room and closed the door behind her it was only a matter of time before Ida's superior strength subdued him and he was drugged and flown to the south pacific, she still needed to prepare the next stage of her plan. In the distance she heard thumping sounds and the clashing of metal, then silence, it was done he was safe and asleep. She cried a little bit on the way to the car, taking a few minutes to fix her make up.

When she got inside the car she was shocked out of her skin, inside of the car in the passenger's side was Clarence Colton in his ugly uniform, brushing little flickers of metal from his arms.

-"How the hell did you do that?"-

-"Secrets of the tray you have yet to know"- he said in his confident and nonetheless goofy way.

She stared at the shards of metal with a questioning look

-"Ida is fine; I just did a little damage while searching for her off button"-

-"You can turn her off?"-

-"As I said, many things you still don't know. Soo where are we going?"-

Wendy was physically and emotionally drained already and so far she only accomplished one third of her plan, fighting with Colton would only delay her schedule and she couldn't afford it.

-"Famouse, taking down a scout ship is one thing but for a whole fleet we need back up"-


	6. Chapter 6

The Middlemobile, at least three miles over the speed limit.

-"What happened in the future, Wendy?"- He was worried for her, she looked angry and wounded. Her face was still wrinkle free but her soul aged too fast, her eyes lost the sparkle they once had and he could tell her lips hadn't curved into a real smile in a long time.

-"Don't feel like talking about it right now, it's a long story"- She said absently, constantly reminding herself to ride on the right side of the street, it was a little difficult to adjust to the American standard.

-"Fair enough, we could speak of this tomorrow if it makes you feel more comfortable"-

-"You won't be here tomorrow Clarence, you'll be sent to retirement before you know it"-

-"Dubbie are you angry at me? Is there something I did for you to push me away like this?"-

-"If I didn't care about you I would have let you in the scout that was supposed to send you to the mother ship, were you would have been killed by a monster. It is one of their main resources for the invasion, those creatures are almost as big as a T-rex and just as dangerous, they have at least twenty of those"-

-"Mandelors"- he said enraged –"Those creatures are as strong as they are dumb, Althurians domesticated them a long time ago"-

-"Yeah well we need magic to subdue them, lots of it"-

-"How is it that magic works so well on them?"-

-"This alien race has dedicated itself to improve their weaponry so no other species could be more powerful in battle, earth technology is pretty rudimentary compared to theirs. Magic is a force that can only exist on earth and those guys never knew it existed, they could never prepare against it"-

-"Magic is a powerful force Dubbie, but playing with it always carries a price"-

-"Yup, I know. Ultimate sacrifices and all that stuff"-

-"I don't want you to pay those kind of prices, I know you have a good plan and every reason to get involved with magic but would you at least consider another option?"- He didn't want Wendy to suffer the way he did.

-"The future version of myself died ten years from now because the chack-mol thingy didn't work, I saw my friends turned into monsters and things they didn't want to be, I lost my art and hope. I don't care about prices Clarence, I paid in advance!"- She ranted and gave herself a minute to gain her composure

The mental image of Wendy dying as a Middlewoman wasn't something he ever prepared for, he always had the fantasy her many qualities would keep her alive and she would join the short list of the happily retired Middlemen.

She had suffered so much, her emotional bleeding wounds yelled at him to do something; he wished he wasn't so awkward with heart to heart conversations, especially considering women.

-"Dubbie please stop the car, we don't have to do this right now. Talk to me, you know you can trust me, pretend I'm one of your lady friends"-

-"Sure let's paint our nails and talk about boys, or better yet let's look at some chick flicks while aliens take over! First the job, then we talk."-

Famouse fashion design studio (and covert halfway house for recovering succubae) 20:15 hours

Both Middleman and Middlewoman walked into the studio, he let her take the lead unlike him she had a very clear picture of what was going on.

Something that catched his eye aside from her radical makeover was the way she walked, like a tigress on the prowl. He had seen her naked without having the smallest deviation on his mind but the confident and sensual way she walked called to a primal part of his brain he swore had always been dormant. The painfully high heels might be partly to blame, yet he was sure the main reason for the change of the way he perceived her is that she wasn't a little sister to mentor anymore; she was a fully grown and developed woman. He forced his eyes off the graceful way her body moved, he felt ashamed of his basic needs.

-"Well well, what do we have here?"- Roxy said lifting an eyebrow, she walked around Wendy inspecting her –"So little miss olive garden grew up, how refreshing, finally a Middleman with fashion sense"-

-"I prefer Middlewoman actually"- Wendy faced her; with all her flamboyance Roxy wasn't half as scary as demoniac Lacey.

-"I see, how long until you get Em-Em out of the HQ?"- The demon said conspirating, she was seizing the Middlewoman up and she wasn't oblivious of the "there can only be one Middleman" rule, the few times two heroes worked together things got ugly and if one of them was the former sidekick, well she didn't wanted to be around when that epic fight happen

-"Not long, the moment he looses his guard is ass is sent off abroad"-

-"Wendy, it takes more than a few tricks and a bossy attitude to force me into retirement, and I would appreciate if you stop talking about me like I'm not in the room"- He was making his stand, the power play was beginning.

-"Anyway"- She ignored him –"I need at least fifty of your succubae and incubi, a lot of passionaria demonica and the stone of Bastet, I'm doing a transmutation spell"-

-"What is a transmutation spell?"- He knew next to nothing about magic but the look in Roxy's eyes concerned him

-"Assuming you're experienced enough to survive the transmutation spell, why on earth do you think I'll send my demons to whatever battle you're up to?"- If Wendy had the goods to back up her words Roxy was sure The Middleman was on the leave, and that even darker times were ahead.

-"Read and weep, Rox."- Wendy took a letter with a wax seal on it from her jacket and gave it to her –"In the meantime your minions better prepare what I ask or they'll all be bitches for a superior alien race."-

Something in the way Watson looked at her made Roxy take her words seriously, she snapped her fingers and all her minions begun to work.

The Middlewoman walked to an altar hidden behind last season's dresses, Clarence close on her heels demanding explanations. –"What is a transmutation spell? And what is on that letter?"-

-"A transmutation spell is when a human calls for demonic power, this spell is dangerous and unpredictable, if it goes well the human gets for a limited time a magical power that matches of a demon but if goes wrong you can either die, or loose your soul, or even turn to an actual demon"- She said casually while undressing, an incubi offered her a ceremonial robe while salivating over her lithe well toned body.

-"Holly powers of gun smoke Dubbie! Are you saying you will expose yourself to black magic?"- He said never taking his eyes from her face, he was terrified of magic in general, but the black type was his largest taboo

-"Magic is magic, you turn it good or bad depending on what you do with it, besides I know I'll ace it cause my future version did. This is way far from your comfort zone, but without magic you cannot win with these guys so I really think you should sit this one up"-

His frown was adorable, she could swear he was about to pout

-"Hand me a robe"- He told the succubus that was working on the altar.

-"What?"- Wendy said shocked

-"You are not fighting demonic or alien forces on your own Dubbie; if I have to invoke demon magic in order to save the world I'll do it"-

-"This isn't a little trip to the underworld Middleman"- She refused to call him boss anymore but wouldn't expose his real name in front of strangers –"You don't have enough experience to pull this up"-

-"And in six months you did? If you can do it so can I"- He said taking his clothes off, not minding the hungry stares the succubae gave him.

-"Why the hell do you have to be so stubborn? You don't think I can do it do you? You think I'll screw up that's why you don't leave me alone"- Wendy was stepping into another power play

-"I'm about to perform a spell, which you know I don't like, that will probably kill me or worse, because you told me it was the only way to defeat a race that could easily wipe the human species from this planet. I have no idea what your plan is about yet I'm following it, if that doesn't prove I trust your judgement I don't know what will"-

She sighed defeated, he was right she kept him in the dark and still he followed blindly without hesitating.

Roxy came out with the stone of Bastet in her hands (it looked like an ordinary stone anyway) she was in the verge of tears, the hope and pride on her face caused shock on the Middleman but not for Wendy.

-"Is it true? The future of our organization is..."-

Wendy nodded silently; Famouse will finally accomplish what for so many years looked impossible, for succubae and incubi to be accepted by the Middleman Company as true allies instead of enemies or mere consultants. Lacey wanted Roxy to know that.

Clarence was getting tired of not understanding what was going on, but he did what Roxy told them.

-"We need the four elements for this spell, it is very important that both of you never touch each other, your life forces will be all rattled and exposed you don't want them to mingle together. Now we need one of you to draw the circle"-

-"Do you have a piece of chalk or pencil?"- He said innocently

Wendy took a dagger and cut a deep slit in her open palm, drawing a large circle in the floor with her blood. After the initial shock Clarence took the same dagger and did the same, her blood mingling with his, he drew the other half of the circle and met her halfway.

"Lie down inside the circle"-

They were careful to keep a considerable distance, he offered her a piece of cloth from his robe for her hand and she accepted it, the floor was beginning to look like o horror movie.

-"Don't think too much, magic is about emotions let yourself go"- Wendy told Clarence knowing he might have problems with that task.

He nodded and smiled reassuringly, seeing gratefulness in her eyes for being by her side, no matter how much she rejected him he knew she needed him more than ever. He swore to himself he'll make her smile again.

-"Break the eye contact, you can't connect in any moment during the spell is that clear?"- Roxy was anxious this was delicate.

She poured some ginger root with incense and mirra on both heroes -"To the element of earth, give them strength"-

They felt vibrations on their muscles which tensed painfully

Then she bathed them with mercury and water -"To the element of water, give them wisdom"-

Their heads felt as if squashed by a tourniquet

She placed burning charcoal and passionaria demonica root over them, the charcoal burnt their robes but not their skins –"To the element of fire, give them magic"-

Their chests burned on the inside, spreading through their entire bodies. Wendy resisted the urge to scream for she might break Clarence concentration.

She lifted the stone of Bastet and a strong wind current flooded the room –"To the element of air, give them new life!"-

Air forced its way inside their lungs, suffocating them.

The rush that came after the pain erased all their discomfort, power in its most raw state flooded through their veins. It was an ecstasy that could never be compared to a mortal experience, nothing could prepare them for a feeling like this and they felt their weightless bodies levitate and reborn in a new physical form.

When their eyes timidly opened Wasserman was looking at them trying to figure out if they made it without turning into demons themselves, they looked pretty human to her.

-"Wow"- He said panting. A blue aura, his life force surrounded him

-"Yeah, wow"- Her purple aura danced around her.


	7. Chapter 7

Middleman HQ 21:00 hours

-"Now that we are half human and half demons would you please explain your plan to me?"- He was loosing his patience; she hadn't said a single word ever since they left Famouse, Roxy advised them to keep a distance with each other for a while since magic did made their emotions unstable. So now she was a Middlewoman, did that mean they could no longer work together because of a territorial issue? The last time he worked with another hero things went wrong and he almost died but she wasn't just a heroine she was his Dubbie, they worked well together and her promotion would not get in the way with that.

Wendy was acting very different from her usual perky and smart ass personality, she seemed cold and evasive. He wondered whether all her previous battles combined with this mysterious time travelling hadn't proved to be too much for her young psique, she had the ability to not falter under pressure but heroine or not she was as human as everyone else.

She gave him a zip disk and headed the changing rooms

-"Al planning and blue prints are there, I'm hitting the gym"- she left without another word.

Twenty minutes later he met her at the gym were they usually trained with Sensei Ping, she was using two ornate daggers with flexible metal strings attached to her wrists, that allowed her to use them as ordinary knives but also to throw them away as a dart and get them back, it gave her the ability to sway those daggers in a circular motion what in battle could clear the perimeter for several feet. The grace of those knifes flying through the air along with her exquisite movements brought another set of unwanted feelings to Clarence. She was an attractive woman; any red blooded man could see that, her skin now paler from lack of sunlight glowed with the fine coat of sweat. He smelled what could only be described as female pheromones combined with expensive perfume, coffee and the exotic herbs used for the transmutation spell, that scent lured the animal within him like blood to a shark.

He had successfully blocked any inappropriate emotion towards her since the day they met and it was easy for she looked so childish, it would be wrong to take advantage of a mentor student relationship. Wendy wasn't a student anymore, she was a gorgeous killing machine now gifted with a very feminine sensuality he could not help perceive, he wanted the old Dubbie back, he wanted to hear her careless laughter again and feel as comfortable as he used to before she transformed into this striking and very unhappy woman.

She saw him gawking at her but he averted his eyes so she wouldn't see how dilated his pupils were. The Middleman tried his corkiest smile and told her shy

-"Your plan is very good Dubbie you considered even the smallest detail, Ida is preparing everything right now and Roxy has already assigned about fifty demons to aid us"-

-"Great"- she said distracted with the knives –"This is the closest you'll get to a weapon of massive destruction when you fight the Althurians, well used these guys can wipe out up to twenty aliens in a few seconds"- She gave a complicated twist, the metal string wrapped around a wood dummy's neck and in a single pull the head was cut off.

She walked towards him, even barefoot her body swayed with a fierceness that made his mouth dry, she gave him another pair of knives and adjusted the wrist cuffs on his large hands. –"Have you ever used this?"- She challenged, he'll never back off a challenge.

-"I have some experience with similar weapons, Sensei Ping had taught me a few years ago. If you feel up for it we could spar for a while, but I hope you don't feel bad if I beat you"-

She didn't waste time and charged at him. He could barely hold himself up at first, her attacks were ruthless and so fast he had little time to recover but eventually his muscle memory activated, you don't get to be a Middleman without fast reflexes and the ability to learn fast. As the friendly fight continued he noticed something about her, she was loosing her advantage, he feared she might be tiring or his blows were too harsh. Studying her face while fighting he saw she was getting distracted, she avoided eye contact which was bad on combat. The blush on her cheeks, understandable given the physical exertion, was intensifying and the glimmer in her eyes he hoped was not caused by tears.

He wanted her to look at him, he was done with her hiding he wouldn't let her avoid him anymore. He charged at her and they fought in full contact for a few more minutes, her reflexes slowed and he could tell she was either distracted or exhausted to a breaking point. A few movements later she was wrapped with the metal strings, one pull and those things would pierce her skin but of course, she knew he'll never do that, nonetheless out of instinct she froze.

Now bound helpless and defeated in combat she would have to answer his questions

-"Look at me Dubbie"- He commanded gently

-"Didn't know you were into bondage, what do you want?"- She seemed embarrassed

He took her face with his hands and forced her to meet his gaze, when he saw it was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't rage or sorrow what laid in those deep brown eyes, it was lust. The exhilaration on Clarence soul surprised him; behind her cool cover she had the same unsettling feelings as him. His free had moved from her face to the small of her back and pulled her close to him, the logic part of his brain disconnected while both lips clashed together.

It was the magic, Wendy was sure of it, what else could explain the fact that she was kissing her mentor? She knew magic as powerful as this combined with the assimilation of demoniac spirits could get her mind and hormones crazy. He needed to know this he's probably confused about his actions, tough his sweet yet passionate kiss did not seem dubitative.

Her body ignored the outraged protest of her mind and she kissed him back urgently, moaning when he swiftly removed the metal strings around her, she put her hands behind his neck while he pulled her even closer as if trying to mould her frame into his. He felt so good against her, the warmth of his body was melting away the ice box in her heart, his strong arms wrapped her protectively promising shelter from a world that lately had done nothing but beat her down.

All the emotional barriers she build in these last few moths were beginning to crack, his gentle touch on her head as he caressed her hair expressed something much deeper than magic induced horniness. If nothing stopped them they would do something much worse than sex, which was something you could eventually get over with. No, he would make love to her with a passionate consideration she hadn't experienced in a long time and she would fall for him before her head stopped spinning.

-"What the hell are you two horny primates doing?"- Ida screamed over the intercom

"Thank you Ida" Wendy thought, Clarence wasn't as relieved as her.

-"Holy peeping toms Ida this is none of your business, I suggest you make all preparations and check de coordinates of the next battle instead of monitoring us"- he was angry because he knew the moment had passed.

-"Clarence it's all right, you are not acting like yourself this is all a secondary effect of the transmutation spell. Ida did us a favour"- She said separating from his strong body like flesh from bone.

-"Wendy I'm not sure this is about the spell"- Her fingers covered his mouth so he wouldn't say something he'll regret

-"It is, when your hormones get back in place you'll laugh about this"- she didn't feel like laughing –"I better go, we got a big day tomorrow"-

….

The illegal sublet Wendy Watson shares with another young, photogenic artist.

-"How can you be such an emotional masoquist? I told you I don't need you to walk me home, get out of here before Lacey shows up"- Her infuriatingly polite former boss was carrying her huge luggage.

-"I won't escape from her Dubbie; I faced an army of angry vampire cows with nothing more than a rusty Swiss knife, I can stand by your friend. After all you have been through the least I can do is walk you home."- He was back in his politically correct mode, acting as if nothing happened. But she saw something different in his eyes, confusion.

-"You walk me home a lot lately"- She grumbled

-"I do"- he regretted –"You had too many "difficult days" lately. I worry about you, are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"- His warm eyes pleaded while he opened the elevator for her.

-"Hey Wendy Watson"- Noser was in his usual place not playing his guitar

-"Hey Noser"- She ignored Clarence and rushed to the door.

-"What do you see?"- Noser asked

-"A red door"- she answered opening the door for Clarence so he could put the huge bag inside

-"What do you want to do with it?"- The musician asked

-"She wants to paint it black"- Clarence said sadly.

-"Sometimes we all do"- Noser answered

…..

2:00 a.m., the clock mocked her.

It had been so weird to hang out with the old versions of her friends, to go back to the lies and hiding when it came to her job. Lacey was glowing with happiness by Warren's side. At first Wendy hated the pairing knowing it was Clarence who was meant to be with her but in the last few moths she learned Warren truly loved her until his dying day.

Noser had the easy calmness his future version lost because of the burden responsibility gave him, she resolve to keep it that way.

The only person missing in that happy group of young artists was Evie, as a dancer and singer she would have fit right into it. Out there in London there was a fifteen year old girl living a charmed life of luxury, not knowing she would go from a spoiled heiress to a crime fighter super heroine in the short time of a decade.

They drank beer in her loft until midnight laughing at everything and nothing in particular. During her time travelling many times she wished she could go back home so everything was the way it used to, drinking beer with her friends goofing around like you have no cares in the world. That unfortunately wasn't the case, she couldn't be that person anymore but at least for a few hours she pretended she was. Later they went to sleep, but Wendy could not do it, she was too stressed and wired.

In fact she couldn't remember when she slept more than a couple hours, nightmares made it hard to get through the night, sometimes she didn't even wanted to sleep at all because the night terrors made her feel more tired when she woke up that when she didn't even lie down.

Giving up she swung her legs from her bed and looked for the closest bar that would be opened at this ungodly hour, she needed a drink.

La Bodeguita del Medio, Cuban themed bar filled with pimps, streetwalkers and cheating spouses. 02:20 hours.

"Cuando el Diablo me quiera llevar

Y la muerte este rondando ceca

Cuando ya no tenga a quien amar

Historias de danzon y de arrabal"

A beautiful voluptuous brunette sang surrounded by sleazy dancers who didn't know that ten years from now the barely known band performing for them would play by a huge orchestra and fill several stadiums. Wendy made a mental note to ask them for their autograph when they finished.

The cherry brandy on her hand provided instant liquid comfort, a half full bottle awaited by the glass' side eager to provide a refill. She needed booze to unwind and energy drinks to get up the next morning, god bless caffeine tablets she would need them tomorrow.

She was about to fill her third glass when the bottle was removed gently from her grasp by a large hand with quick reflexes. Clarence Colton, the ultimate wholesome hero, the hidden child of Dudley Do-Right and Superman was protecting her from her own vices, even if it meant he had to drag his ass from bed at 2 am to go to a cheap bar outside of town.


	8. Chapter 8

Middleman HQ 23:50 hours, Sleepy time

Clarence growled at the number in front of him, he tried to see the real time recording on Wendy's trip to the future but as a Middlewoman she had the right to delete her time recording archives applying a code 107. All he saw was a black dead image at the screen.

-"There must be a way around it Ida; we got to have that recording back. How does Wendy pretend to stop problems in the future if she doesn't let us see them in the present?"-

-"She probably screwed up and doesn't want posterity to know that"- The android scoffed

-"Fudged monkeys Ida, In the future, the much distant future I might add, she will be your boss. Remember that whenever you say those comments. And honestly every middleman throughout history has screwed up, me included. A deranged megalomaniac harvested pineal glands for years and I didn't see it coming, if it wasn't for the Chack-Mol amulet the world would have been destroyed about three hundred times."-

She sighed and pointed him a barely noticeable square in the left bottom edge of the screen

-"Double click on that one, it's a hidden archive O2STK put into her recording"-

When he did so white letters on the black screen announced

Real life situation recording, Demise of Middleman number 346

Hidden lair of the villain Eagle Eye, year 2018, 01:00 AM, London time

Wendy knew better than trying to enter a secluded fort by the air ducts, it was easier to blow up a piece of an inconspicuous wall with a controlled explosion. She knew he might be expecting her in spite of the false information that claimed she was on the other side of town messing up with his supplies by the harbour.

Eagle eye had kidnapped Evie and if that wasn't to lure her in her sidekick would be dead already, she didn't want to imagine what the megalomaniac had in store for the British young girl, and He hated that poor kid. Wendy remembered the times she was the wonder boy hostage in the hands of a megalomaniac herself, she had promised to Clarence's grave her trainee would not go trough the same things she did but she broke her own pact.

With a close to supernatural stealth (the new superpower she achieved over the years) she quickly discharged the guards patrolling the gate of the main interrogation room, thank god for the mole she put on the villain's circle of trust, he gave her a map of the entire building and told her were Evie was captured. "Please boss, if you are out there in the underworld pull whatever string you have and let her be alive" She prayed to herself

The sight wasn't pretty, eagle eye was about to stab her beaten up and bound to a chair sidekick when she shot him square in the chest. Hundreds of times she could have killed him but she hesitated, he was her kryptonite, but nobody messes with her sidekick. Unfortunately that didn't even stall him, it wasn't the real villain it was only and android so his hand stabbed Evie's midsection with incredible ease. Before he could remove the knife several more blasts removed the arm from the rest of the body, if the knife didn't come out she might not bleed to death.

Eagle Eye was two steps ahead of her but she knew him, she still had a few cards under her sleeve, the little mechanical devise in her pocket was a last resort option. If she did this the "cold war" between her and the villain would be over and now hell was gonna break loose because now there would be an open battle.

Evie didn't look like she could make it; the muscular girl was taller and more voluptuous that Wendy, her heavy weights made her look closer to death and much harder to carry. This was beyond animosity, this was an open statement for war and a clear proof that the ruler of America had beyond doubt lost his mind; he made his choice by crossing the line.

She implanted the device on the adjacent wall of the interrogation room while she left, a little explosion sent the nanobots inside that device sprawling into action, they infiltrated all the technology inside the compound and destroyed it along with all the new weapons he was so proud of. The nanobots she left on the building were just as dangerous as the ones sent to destroy the world's technology over ten years ago, but by Wendy's request O2STK altered the nanobots to make them short lived, they could cause havoc at a very rapid pace but also for a limited period of time thus avoiding any risk of actually destroying all technology in the world.

The seats of the new German engineered car were soon soaked with blood; Idan was already preparing the OR.

Middleman HQ, 05:00 AM, London time.

The android came out from the OR to find The Middlewoman pacing the waiting room like a caged tigress; she almost jumped out to him demanding answers

-"She'll make it, he punctured her liver but missed the main veins, she lost a lot of blood though. Given time she'll recover"- Idan said seriously, he knew things were about to get ugly.

-"How the (bleep) did he got to her?"- She said exasperated, her trainee was kept under a short leash how could she get out of her sight?

-"He made her go to him, after the last time you fought with him…"-

-"You mean the time were we engaged ourselves in the typical villain-heroine laser gun fight and I had the chance to kill him but I went soft and didn't?"- She was wallowing in guilt, she knew she had to pull that trigger but at the last minute she realized she couldn't. He was grateful enough to propose a truth, again, and she as the coward she felt like right now accepted it.

-"Evie believed that if you couldn't do it she would have to, she tracked Eagle Eye's location and went for him, clearly that didn't work out well"-

-"How could she do something that stupid? You don't get into his territory unless he wants you to or distract him by giving him false information about your plans at the last minute like I did, still he managed to get around it somehow".-

-"Do you think our mole is double crossing us?"- Idan said

-"If he were both of us would be captured"- she drew a shaky breath –"I (bleep) up, it's my fault, my own trainee lost her faith in me an now look what happened"-

Idan wasn't good with counselling, like all the androids versions he didn't care for human emotions but with a wounded sidekick and a Middlewoman on the verge of a breakdown he tried to give a pep talk, all he could find in his database was the truth.

-"Evie knows why you didn't do it. She knows you still had faith in him, she did what thought was right and screwed up. Typical rookie mistake she'll learn from it"-

-"I destroyed all his weapons, his database and ruined not only his plans but the necessary infrastructure to maintain his government back in the states, his compound is as useful now as an abandoned building. He is coming for us."-

-"I'll go get the Chack-mol amulet if I were you, I found a tracker deep inside Evie's wound, he knows our location"- Is it possible for his face to resemble panic?

Her whole body tensed and she roared like she had heard Lacey do many times before. A few calming breaths later she was back in the game.

-"Get Evie out just in case and take all the data and weapons you can, he will try to destroy the HQ so activate the evacuation protocol, now!"-

The android rushed to fulfil the orders while she prepared things, the amulet in her hands looked like a cheap toy. She said the right words, she activated the protocol and nothing happened.

-"How's the evacuation going?"- She asked the android hoping not to sound terrified

–"It's done boss"-

The floor trembled as dozens of armed soldiers broke into the HQ, no titanium doors could match Eagle Eye's bomb squad, he must have had a reserve of weapons outside his compound. A blurry image on the flat screens around the controlled room showed the villain's face.

-"I wouldn't waste my time with that panther; I replaced it with a fake one years ago and threw the original to a volcano. For once in your life do as I say, we will take you prisoner and use all the Middleman technology since you were so kind to destroy mine. It will be difficult but I will get enlighten into that pretty little stubborn head of yours, after all this time you will finally see things my way and we'll rule the world together. Now stay calm as the teams shows up, you know they have strict orders not to hurt you but don't make it so difficult for them."- He sounded protective, like a father scolding his little girl.

She laughed while her eyes teared a little, somehow between the immense power and the inner mission inside of him madness crept in and ate him from the inside out, she was going to die soon but it was him who she felt sorry for.

-"I hate to pull the "You're not getting away with it" cliché on you but I am. You are. Not. Going. To win."-

-"Will you get all Sensei ping karate on my soldiers? That's adorable I love it when you do that"-

-"Nope, I'm pulling a reverse Nicrotis protocol"-

-"I never heard of that one"- Concern appearing for the first time

One flick of her wrist and another set of iron doors closed all entrances and exits of the HQ these ones made with a mixture of industrial diamonds, the villain's army was trapped nothing could open them.

-"Great is that your plan? Locking all my soldiers inside? You'll have to come out eventually"-

The sprinklers were triggered filling every room with liquid; especially the one Wendy was in.

-"Sir the rooms are being sprinkled with gasoline"- The main general told his president, this didn't look good.

Too late Eagle eye realized of her plan, he never thought she would be able to do it.

-"What the hell? You better not do what I think your gonna do"- He was terrified

-"It's over Eagle eye, without all this technology and all your best men your empire is going down. My sidekick and my friends are coming down on you, get ready to rip the worlwind"- She smiled relieved while gasoline rained over her. She played one last time with her father's lighter.

-"No! Stop this please, we'll talk things out don't do this"- He said panicked, more scared of her death than the fall of his empire. She was the ying to his yang; if she left he would loose part of himself.

The sprinklers ceased for a second, then fire erupted from the edges near the security cameras.

Middle HQ 02:00 AM, present day

Whether Wendy screamed when the fire enveloped her he didn't know, by then Clarence was already throwing up his lunch in the nearest bathroom he could find. If only the face on the monitor wasn't that blurry, he would gladly get to this man and showed him a few tricks he learned as a navy seal, things that really hurt.

All he needed was a name and a Byzantine revenge was on the coming, Wendy would provide that even if he had to use a truth bomb on her.

He saw her current real time recording and instead of a bed what he saw beside her was a bottle of liquor and a sleazy bar, he had to talk to her right now.


	9. Chapter 9

La Bodeguita del medio, 02:30 hours.

-"I think you drank more than enough Dubbie. Let me help you with that"- he said throwing the brandy bottle away, that cherry scented alcohol splashed on the floor so it wouldn't poison someone else.

-"Last time I checked I'm not in working hours so I don't have to listen to you, and you are paying for that bottle by the way"- She was already asking for another one, if he didn't leave by the time the overweight waitress deposited on the table there would be a bar fight on the coming.

-"As your boss I concern about how that drug will affect your performance at the plan you worked hard to conceive and as your friend I concern about your overall well being."- He considered her his friend but surprisingly he never called her that way, he wasn't good with overall emotions, he hoped he was. She had built a wall around herself and he had no idea of how to tear it down.

-"Friends know each other, I don't really know you. You were a good boss, the best one I ever had but you keep pushing and you'll regret it"- The whiskey bottle arrived on her table and she reached for it, she eyed him defiantly filling the glass.

-"I saw the death of your future self Dubbie, it makes me sick"- He was still a little nauseous

-"Ah yeah my representation of the Olympic torch, well at least I went with a bang, or flame."-

-"There is nothing funny about burning to death, it must be one of the most painful ways to die and frankly the fact that you did it on purpose puts my gears into grind"-

-"It's my death and I'll mock if I want to"- The whiskey was about to touch her lips, he removed the glass from her hands and again the bottle flew trough the air. She had enough that man was going down. She twisted his arm behind his back and threw him outside the bar, he never fought back Clarence refused to hit a woman unless it was utterly necessary.

Outside of the bar The Middleman ran his hand through his face, giving up was not an option but he didn't know how to get to her.

-"Help me out Ravinne. What would you do?"- He prayed to the sky, she had always been so good with people, so much she got through a thick headed navy seal drop out.

"You gotta give some to get some" She told him almost every day, he remembered the first time he trained with her "And if you want something out of me you better give me a lot from you, now get that pasty keister of the ground and fight"

He sighed and smiled at the sky –"Thank you baby"- And entered the bar.

The bartender didn't care if the bottles were broken as long as they were paid for, she did pay but her wallet suffered and couldn't afford another drink. "He won after all" She thought.

She bumped a large torso on her way out

-"You're like the energizer bunny on steroids you never give up!"- She said exasperated

-"No I'm not, come with me"- he was back in his goofy smile way.

-"No I'm almost out of gas and my wallet is empty thanks to you"-

-"I'll take you; we'll get your car on the morning"-

-"Whatever you're up to I'm not in the mood"- She couldn't let him poke around her heart, if he did she would break down and if that happened she'll never get back up. How badly she wanted to confide in the only person in the universe that might understand how she felt. But she couldn't, if she opened herself all the little horrors inside her would come out and she wouldn't be able to pull them back in. Besides if he knew how many wrong choices she made in the future she would feel humiliated.

-"I insist"- He said with a friendly smile yet determination on his eyes, Subtext: I'm not giving up until you get in the car.

The duck pound, not the best place to be at 03:23 Am

He started out by taking his to his own haven, the place he went to when he needed to think and bought her the greasiest hamburger on the way over, hoping the food might absorbe some of the alcohol.

The place looked peaceful and had a classic beauty that transmitted the same comfort Clarence inspired in her. Two persons sitting in a bench feeding ducks at 3 am, why not?

-"I have a proposition for you, it's true that I never gave much personal information about myself but I did it to protect you, nonetheless you are right. It's not fair that I ask personal questions about your life when I never tell you much about mine"-

-"That is the first reasonable thing you said all day"-

-"So I'm giving you a chance to ask anything you want to know about me and I'll answer with the truth but in response you must answer my questions too, no lies nor tricks"-

Wendy was so tired, of fighting her former boss, of fighting aliens and above all forcing the painful memories down a hidden corner of her mind. Knowing him it must have been so difficult to offer his so well kept secrets, "another sacrifice for the greater good right Clarence? Keep going and one day you'll have nothing more to give." But two can play the "quid pro quo" game, if he wanted to mess with her mind maybe she could mess with him so he can finally go to Bora-Bora and drink milk out of a martini glass by the beach.

-"Fine I'll start with something easy. Why country music?"- She asked nonchalantly

-"I went to Iowa with Ravinne to fight an evil scientist that wanted to turn all water supplies into led; he planned to later on use the philosopher's stone to transform it into gold"-

-"Sheer idiocy in its impracticality"-

-"He was defeated with little effort so we went to celebrate to a country bar nearby and dance by the moonlight until the sun came up, those wailing tunes sounded wonderful back then, even when I was a hard rock fan. I listen to them and I'm back there, the happiest night in my life"-

-"I'm so sorry"- She said sympathetic

-"My turn, who is the man that made you kill yourself with your father's lighter?"-

-"Eagle Eye a.k.a. Ted Tomerson, Fred Frenkel, the list goes on, he changes names like a girls changes clothes that's how he gets below the radar and he strikes when you're not looking. My turn, do you have a family?"-

-"I'm and only child, my parents died of old age about seven years ago within weeks of each other, they were good people. I think I have an uncle somewhere but I never had much contact with my non immediate family. My turn, Is there a way to track him down in the present?"-

-"Yes but I'm not punishing for something he still hasn't done, he is a good man but he had a few traumas and made bad decisions on the way. I have it covered I won't let him become Eagle eye"- She avoided eye contact.

-"Dark side of the moon Dubbie! What could turn a good man into that monster?"-

-"After the alien invasion paranormal creatures were the least of people's problems. If you think crime is an issue now, imagine what would happen if a catastrophe destroyed all sense of order and authority. Many victims entered the body counts and most of them were caused not by the aliens but by the chaos that erupted after the invasion ended. He got obsessed with making the world a safer place even if it meant he had to take over it. At first he was a hero, using his many skills to bring order back. No one knew he had gone bonkers until it was too late, no even my future self, until he had complete control."- She drew a shaky breath –"You know Clarence all you need to turn a hero into a monster is a huge power and a little push, that's all"-

-"I refuse to believe that"-

-"Let me remind you that in some parallel universe I'm an evil megalomaniac myself. Would you kill me so I don't turn like her?"-

-"You basically have the fate of world in your hands and all those traumas you have faced are destroying your soul but you are as close to become a villain as I am of becoming a member of the Russian ballet"-

They talked until the sun drag from the horizon, by then her head nestled in his broad shoulder and she dozed, he told her about his past and she told him about her future. Shortly after her arrival to the future she destroyed Eagle Eye but at a great expense, to make things worse he had many allies and sympathizers that wanted revenge and she had been constantly attacked by random acts of violence. When she told him about Lacey's fate all he asked her is:

-"So she did love him, did he love her back? Do you think he deserves her?"-

-"He will love her until the day he dies, hopefully not by the hands of a megalomaniac"-

She laughed and cried at the same time.

-"Why did this Eagle Eye killed him?"-

-"He is the one that discovered his true evil plan, until then everyone believed he was doing a wonderful job as the new leader of the states. He was a journalist and made an article about the rehabilitation camps, future version of prison. The inmates came in all crooked and came out completely reformed, it wasn't an effective program they were being brainwashed and manipulated. Wendell saw his true intentions, to extend that brainwashing not only to criminals but also to regular citizens to prevent riots, misdemeanours and above all uprisings or revolutions. Wendell barely managed to send the information to Lacey before he was killed, my future version realized too late of Eagle Eye's intentions, she knew it was only a matter of time until he tried to take over the world so she went abroad hoping to gather up enough resources to bring him down"-

-"Where did she go?"- He said while gently caressing her back

-"London, she figured an ocean might be enough of a barrier to keep the organization safe"-

-"I though I heard a little cockney accent on your voice, sounds distinguished"- Clarence gave her a half smile.

-"Shut up"- She punched him in the arm

A weight was slowly lifting from her shoulders, a ghost of a smile in her lips "So Clarence knows I (bleep) up as a Middlewoman, no biggie, I'll prove him I can do better"

When her eyelids became heavy he escorted her to his car, she fell asleep shortly after sitting on the passenger's side, he didn't wake her up. Her sublet was an option but might raise a lot of questions so he took her to his own chambers at the HQ.

He laid her on his bed; she whispered a few inaudible words and tried to curl by his side.

In spite of his best efforts and his own private confessions he never got direct information of Eagle Eye's true identity, only her oath that she would prevent him from becoming evil.

He sat by her side, watching her sleep, after the inappropriate behaviour he had towards her in the gym he decided not to sleep by her side but not leaving her alone either.

He was trying in vain to put his mind in order between all the information Wendy provided, her fragile state of mind and of course the inexplicable attraction he felt towards her. He believed part of his love for Lacey was destroyed at the same time her own love was taken away; far from being comforting that was a deeper aggravation. Those emotions were his to have regardless of his beloved's reciprocity, he could have lived on loving Lacey and being happy to see her safe even if that meant she would never love him back, but the amulet ripped those feelings from his chest leaving him empty and hollow. Clarence wanted that passion back, to love ant to loose is better to never loved at all, he had kept himself numb from emotions for years and now that he was reminded how passion was like he didn't want to go back to those cold years. In his despair the male hormones found another deposit for those primal needs in a beautiful woman that understood him like nobody else would ever do, someone who was strong and frail at the same time.

Could he afford to woo his partner knowing that not only she is in a good relation with another man but also is now in a delicate emotional crisis? She would be his if he wanted, the way she kissed him a few hours ago proved it. He was determined and skilful in ways she didn't yet know and when his mind is set he doesn't stop until he accomplishes his goal. But is it worth the risk?

Those musings were interrupted by her screams, she fought invisible enemies in the bed and the utter horror on her face was more congruent with a night terror than a nightmare, he said soothing words to her and when her body begun to relax he caressed her hair until she fell into a peaceful sleep.

Although the night, her nightmares were frequent, it was easier for him to lay by her side and soothe her as soon as those bad dreams begun. Eventually the nightmares stopped and she curled by his side, sheltered by his large strong frame.

They slept all morning, her floral perfume brought pleasant memories to Clarence, and it had been so long since he had a woman asleep in his arms. He had forgotten how cold and lonely his bed had been, he had no intention of crossing any line but he would have been blessed if he could share his bed with her every night, only sleep nothing else.

Ida saw the two primates spooning in the dark room, she shook her head in annoyance for she knew that soon there would be human pheromones and god knows what else polluting the headquarters. It wouldn't be long until those two get going at it like chimps on Viagra. –"Damn those meatbags"- She scoffed.


	10. Chapter 10

When Wendy woke up se felt more rested than she ever thought possible, the large worm pillow by her side turned out to be her former boss. The previous day passed by her head and she remembered kissing him on the gym, later that night going for drinks and finding him there… could it be possible that she slept with Clarence? Seeing herself she was still in the t-shirt and denim pants she was wearing the night before and he was in his uniform. Nope, no sex whatsoever, it made sense he would never sleep with her, that kiss they shared was a mere glitch in their behaviour.

He opened his eyes, stirred and muttered a shy "good morning". She learned that the best antidote for awkwardness was to go straight to business. Staring at her watch she jumped off the bed, she overslept and now they were behind schedule.

-"We better get to the gym, I gotta teach you how to use you powers"- Wendy said already heading there

-"My powers?"- Clarence was hot on her heels

-"We didn't go through a transmutation spell just for enjoying our headaches, we got magical powers now and we have to learn how to use them"-

After two hours Clarence wondered if the spell even worked on him, she was creating big balls of fire with ease and directing those at wood dummies with sharp precision while he couldn't even light the candle in front of him.

Sighing he was considering giving up on magic, he was never into it anyway.

-"You think too much Clarence; magic is ruled by will and emotions logic only blocks it out. Let go of all those dogmas in your head."-

-"I like my dogmas thank you very much; I think it's better if I bring battle support instead of magic"-

-"You'll be useless in the battlefield without magic; the Althurians will mop the floor with you. I would rather you sit this one up"-

-"Stalin will be singing "Aida" in the cheese burger stadium the day I let you alone to fight an entire fleet of deranged extraterrestrials Dubbie. Guess I have no choice but try harder"- Clarence scoffed like a five year old and sat by the non lit up candle, he was adorable

-"It's not that difficult, why are you so afraid to let go of your logic? Even for a little while"-

-"I lost control of myself the last time I let magic rule over me, I do not wish to do it again"- He blushed and looked away, the mammoth in the room wagged its tail in front of them

-"The kiss meant nothing, if it happens again we'll simply ignore it as the nagging side effect it is. I won't make any assumption on it and neither should you"- She sounded like a douche bag getting rid of her booty call but maybe that little white lie would give some balance in their relationship.

Their kiss meant more than that, at least for her but Clarence could never know that, there was too much at stake. He was trying so hard to light that (bleep) candle.

Wendy sighed and sat behind him; she wrapped her arms around his and laid her chin on his shoulder.

Clarence saw her beautiful aura surrounding him; in response his light blue life force was awaking and frolicking with hers. He closed his eyes and thought about fire, the tiny sparkle on the candle matching the flicker of a different kind of love igniting in his chest.

Once awaken the magic force in him almost winds up burning the gym, interrodroid save the day thanks to a large fire extinguisher. Once the power was triggered it was time to implement some control and structure in it, thinking with you emotions might sound like an oxymoron but it was the only way to play with these powerful forces without creating further havoc. A friendly duel with spells later he was almost as comfortable with magic as she was.

Later on they studied her plan. The entries to cover, the exits, the power sources and all the little details that could easily ruin everything. The little things are the ones that really (bleep) you over and unfortunately the most difficult part to control, no matter how hard you try. Like the hidden entrance that let the villain get away or the hidden camera that went on and blew your cover.

-"We'll infiltrate the mother ship, our shields should hide us from their radars and we strike once everyone is in position"- The Middlewoman lectured for the fourth time, it was so strange to see her no nonsense face, he really missed the happier Dubbie. She turned away from him and said a little shy –"Clarence there is a code 47 recorded on the HEYDAR's database, if things get too ugly you have to escape. One of us needs to make it out alive"-

-"Because at least one of us has to be alive to stop Eagle Eye?"- He said with a grim expression.

She nodded and hugged herself –"Give me your word that you will open that file only after I died"-

-"Why don't you trust me Dubbie? Tell me who he is"- He pleaded

-"Promise me or I'll destroy the code"-

-"I promise"- He surrendered

Before he could push further on the subject she left with the excuse of picking up Famouse's demons. The battle was about to begin.


	11. Chapter 11

Althurian mothership, stratosphere, 18:00 hours

In every possible corner there was a demon, all the supernatural creatures hid in every crook of the spaceship with both Middlemen in key positions. Clarence was given the task to kill the Althurian king after Wendy defeated the Mandelors and lured most if not all of the Althurian army, leaving the king unprotected.

In the future Wendy eventually got sources in the Althurian army. It was an alien soldier that worked as a double agent during the invasion in an act of revenge against the king for sending his sons to die in battle. He told her the race was on financial trouble and depended on earth's resources to pay off all the debt caused by the intergalactic wars. If they lost this battle the alien race would be ruined and fall pray to their numerous enemies. So if they won now, they wouldn't have to worry about them anymore.

Clarence waited patiently in the king's office; the invisibility spell was much more effective than any of their scout machines and cameras.

Not long after he assumed his position the king was alerted that a large group of strange humans were killing their mandelors. Those fool aliens didn't even know of the demon's existence. The ruler sent all his army to fight them and remained locked in his chambers with his royal guard that consisted of three large warriors.

Once the doors of the chamber were locked Clarence swung the magic daggers in the guards' direction, his perfect pulse sent the daggers right into their heads, the remaining guard didn't have time to look around until the king saw in horror how an invisible force slit his throat. Alone and terrified the king sunk to his knees and begged for mercy. The Middleman refused to kill a helpless man in such state, he left him tied up and locked in the chambers. He believed that with the army destroyed the ruler could be more useful as a ransom or source of information than as a dead body.

Clarence ran to the centre of the ship were Wendy was fighting the mandelors, too late the Althurian warriors realized that a smaller group of demons had destroyed their sophisticated weapons before they launched their attack.

The battle was on its peak but he could already tell the demon army was wining, with blazing fireballs he made his way into one of the mandelor's cave, inebriated by the violence that flooded the ship, the primal warrior inside him jumped at the beast's neck and used a water spell that drowned the animal from the inside out. Like a kid with a new toy Clarence threw deadly spells with frenzy, turning aliens into ice only to shed them later, burning them alive or simply removing the air from their lungs.

Wendy's flying daggers swung in circles chopping alien limbs, the metal strings as sharp as the knives themselves did lots of damage as well slicing several limbs in each turn.

Demons fought in unleashed frenzy, enjoying every scream and gore that came from the enemy's bodies. It was over before they knew it.

A gooey carpet made of alien corpses lay below them, Wendy was on top of the pyramid made of dead bodies, standing proud and tall like a true Middlewoman, like the fighter he knew she could become. He loved the satisfied smile she gave him, his heart beating faster at the sight of her than in the middle of the fight.

It is always the little things that ruin your plans, and no matter how hard you try, they always pop up. In this case that little thing came in the shape of an Althurian warrior that played dead and waited until Wendy dropped her guard, and when she did so he shot her from behind with one of the few gamma ray guns the Althurian army salvaged from the strike.

A demon ran to her and chopped the attacker's head off but the damage was already done, Clarence was by her side before she fell to the ground.

No clichéd words of encouragement could pass his lips, seeing her fighting for her last breaths until she breathed no more, it left him speechless. Life escaped from her and he couldn't every consider the thought of it. He had coped with Ravinne's death in the hope of meeting her in the underworld, in the meantime he fell in love with Lacey only to see helpless how that sacred beautiful emotion was ripped from his heart and his life, and now that he found someone he could fall for once more he was now seeing her die in his arms.

"No" he thought "Not this time, no more" for once in his life he wouldn't stay passive while the woman he loved was ripped away from him, this time he would walk by Grace Kelly into the sunset even if it meant he had to go to the underworld to get her back, even if he had to fight the reaper itself and pry her from its claws. She would live, with him, for good.

The thoughts locked inside his head formed an inner will that later turned into a wish, transformed into magic. His light blue aura flooded her body until her purple aura danced as well; blinding white light erupted from her wound. His being moulded inside of her life force until every single cell of his body bounded with hers. He felt her heart beat once more, followed by her breathing, shallow at first but growing in strength. Her eyes still closed he summoned what little strength he had left to take her home.

Middleman HQ 21:00 hours

Still asleep in the infirmary Wendy couldn't hear Clarence fighting with Roxy over the intercom.

-"You played with the force of life and death Em Em, how the hell you pulled it off I have no idea but be sure there will be consequences. If she turns into a zombie don't call me to clean up your mess"-

-"She's not a zombie Roxie, her EEG is normal. Now if you excuse me I need to rest too"- Clarence said on the verge of sleep.

-"You poured your filthy life force inside of her of course you're tired"-

-"You make it sound dirty"- He scoffed

-"Because it is!"- She said disgusted, sex was part of a succubus daily life but this kind of bonding made her sick to the stomach.

-"Bye Roxy"- He said disengaging the intercom

He was exhausted but with Wendy asleep he had the chance to know who this Eagle Eye was, he gave her his word that he wouldn't access her code 47 until she died and for a few minutes that is what she did, he was only doing as he was ordered.

The large screen illuminated with a plain legend

"Code 47 of middleman number 346"


End file.
